Tag Archives: Alijah Martin

Playing in a second Final Four with a different team? Florida’s Martin has enjoyed the ride

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

When Alijah Martin played for the Florida Atlantic University Owls, he always seemed to be at his best when he suited up against the UTSA Roadrunners.

In addition, FAU won all four meetings between the two teams in a three-year period through the 2023-24 season, including three games contested in San Antonio.

“You played here (in San Antonio)?” one of Martin’s teammates on the Florida Gators asked Thursday morning.

Did he ever.

Martin, as an FAU freshman, produced 16 points and 9 rebounds as the Owls won 73-64 at the UTSA Convocation Center in 2022. A year later, he had 11 points and 7 boards as nationally-ranked FAU rolled, 83-64.

In January 2024, a wild, high-scoring affair tipped into overtime, and he scored 26 points in a 112-103 victory for the Owls. He also had five rebounds, five assists and two steals.

In a video shot by The JB Replay (see above), he’s throwing down a pretty salty dunk at the Convocation Center during the 2022-23 season.

“Is that one where I was coming down the middle?” Martin asked when I showed it to him on my phone. “Oh, yeah, I remember that one.”

Of course, that was the year that FAU shocked the world and made it all the way to the NCAA Final Four.

Meaning that, the starting guard for the Florida Gators is a Final Four veteran leading into Saturday afternoon’s national semifinal against Auburn at the Alamodome.

“It’s definitely unbelievable to be here, in this moment,” he said. “Blessed.”

Oddly, the kid from Summit, Miss., who attended a previously non-descript school in Boca Raton, Fla., is the one in the Gators’ locker room with a Final Four history.

It’s in the record books that he scored 26 points for the Owls in a 72-71 semifinal loss to San Diego State two years ago at Houston’s NRG Stadium.

Martin is now the guy in the Gators’ locker room imparting wisdom to his teammates, about what it’s like to be in a Final Four.

“I’ve been telling the guys what’s ahead,” he said, “what they can look for.”

In another twist, Martin is not the only player on a roster this weekend with previous Final Four experience on a different team. Two others are Houston guard LJ Cryer and Duke forward Mason Gillis.

Cryer, as a collegiate freshman, had a limited role in the last two games of Baylor’s 2021 national title season in Indianapolis.

With the tournament contested in a “controlled environment” during the pandemic, Cryer played two minutes in a semifinal victory over Houston. He played one minute in the championship game victory against Houston.

Gillis, for his part, played in the semifinals and finals last season for the Purdue Boilermakers.

This time last year, the Boilermakers reached the NCAA finals in Glendale, Ariz., where they lost to the Connecticut Huskies.

Gillis, who snared four rebounds in 24 minutes in the title match, acknowledged that it’s a special feeling making the trip with his new team as they prepare to face the Houston Cougars in Saturday’s late game.

“It’s a blessing, for sure,” he said. “So we just got to finish the job this year.”

Martin, Cryer and Gillis will join Steve Krafcisin (North Carolina, 1977, and Iowa, 1980) and Bob Bender (Indiana, 1976, and Duke, 1978) as the only oplayers to reach the pinnacle of the Big Dance with different teams.

Florida and Auburn will tip off at 5:09 p.m. on Saturday, followed by Houston and Duke in the nightcap. The championship game is set for Monday night, with tipoff at 7:50 p.m.

This year’s Final Four is unique in a few different ways. It’s the second in history and the first since 2008, when Kansas beat Memphis for the title at the Alamodome, that four No. 1 seeds have congregated to play for the national title.

It’s also the first in some 45 seasons that two players — Martin and Gillis — are in the national semifinals after experiencing the thrill of the moment previously with another team. Martin’s story is even more remarkable.

For his first two seasons, he started out at FAU playing in a small home arena in Boca Raton, Fla., and in modest venues all around Conference USA. Also, in 2023-24, in the American Athletic Conference.

One of those arenas was in San Antonio, where 1,500 or so would turn out to watch.

Now he’s preparing to play in the same city a year later, in a downtown venue that will be filled with about 68,000 people, in his second Final Four in three years. And for his second college team, the Gators, of the mighty Southeastern Conference.

“It’s crazy,” Martin said.

And, so, what is the lesson learned in his hoops journey?

“You got to stick with it,” Martin said. “Basketball can take you places, man, where you never thought you could be.”

2025 NCAA Final Four
At the Alamodome

Friday’s open practices

Florida: 11 – 11:50 a.m.
Auburn: 12 – 12:50 p.m.
Houston: 1 – 1:50 p.m.
Duke: 2 – 2:50 p.m.

Saturday’s semifinals

Florida vs. Auburn, 5:09 p.m.
Duke vs. Houston, 40 minutes after the end of the first game

Monday’s finals

Saturday’s winners tip off at 7:50 p.m. for the NCAA championship

Alijah Martin of Florida Atlantic men's basketball playing against UTSA on Jan. 29, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Alijah Martin of Florida Atlantic men’s basketball playing against UTSA on Jan. 29, 2022, at the Convocation Center. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Freshman fuels late run as FAU defeats UTSA, 73-64

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Freshman guard Alijah Martin scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half Saturday afternoon as the FAU Owls rallied for a 73-64 victory over the offensively-challenged UTSA Roadrunners.

Martin and Bryan Greenlee, who also scored 16, hit key shots in an 8-0 run for the Owls in the final three minutes of the ball game at the UTSA Convocation Center.

Steve Henson. Florida Atlantic beat UTSA 73-64 on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Steve Henson worked the sideline Saturday as his team battled the FAU Owls. – Photo by Joe Alexander

During the Owls’ final push, the Roadrunners had several opportunities to turn the momentum in their favor but couldn’t get it done.

“Same story,” UTSA coach Steve Henson said. “Just can’t get the ball to go in the hole.”

After leading by three at halftime, the Roadrunners shot 25.6 percent in the second half and finished with 33.8 percent for the game. As a result, their percentage for the season dropped to 38.0, which ranks last in Conference USA.

Down by nine points with six minutes remaining, the Roadrunners started a charge that felt a little like Thursday night, when they rallied for a victory over the FIU Panthers.

UTSA, behind guard Darius McNeill, surged on an 11-3 streak over the next three minutes.

McNeill had seven points and an assist in the run. His jumper from just outside the paint brought the Roadrunners to within one, 65-64, with 3:18 remaining.

Jordan Ivy-Curry hit a long shot at the buzzer at the end of the first half. Florida Atlantic beat UTSA 73-64 on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Jordan Ivy-Curry hit a long 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer against Florida Atlantic. Ivy-Curry led UTSA with 19 points. – Photo by Joe Alexander

At that point, the Roadrunners couldn’t get a break or score another point for the rest of the afternoon.

After McNeill misfired on a three-point attempt that would have vaulted UTSA into the lead, FAU came down and missed on a Greenlee drive.

A clutch offensive rebound by forward Bitumba Baruti allowed the Owls another opportunity, and Greenlee delivered on a three from the wing that made it 68-64.

As the clocked ticked into the two-minute range, defenses tightened and both UTSA and FAU misfired on three-point attempts. Trailing by four, UTSA would have a chance.

But in one of the key sequences, the Roadrunners made an aggressive play that could have been a momentum changer, only to see it go awry.

Guard Dhieu Deing drove baseline and passed on a difficult maneuver under the basket to teammate Jacob Germany. As it turned out, the pass was low, and Germany couldn’t hang on to it.

Jacob Germany. Florida Atlantic beat UTSA 73-64 on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Jacob Germany had 11 points and 10 rebounds against FAU. The 6-11 center hit 5 of 11 from the field. – Photo by Joe Alexander

The Owls advanced it the other way, leading to a driving layup by Martin and a 70-64 lead for FAU with 56 seconds left.

On the next possession, the Roadrunners kept shooting and rebounding and shooting again, coming up with nothing as they skidded to their 10th loss in their last 12 games.

UTSA is 1-8 in conference.

“We’re just too streaky right now,” Henson said. “Confidence, I think, probably is an issue overall. You know, shots going in becomes contagious. Shots not going in becomes contagious. We’re struggling.”

The Owls clearly had something to do with the Roadrunners’ problems. Unlike the Roadrunners, the Owls had several players who looked confident in their offensive games.

Martin, for instance, hit six of 10 from the field. He also nailed four of eight from 3-point territory. In an all-around solid performance, the 6-2 guard from Summit, Miss., was a handful on the glass with nine rebounds. He also passed for four assists.

Greenlee hit the big three at the end.

Junior guard Michael Forrest, FAU’s leading scorer, wasn’t great. He hit only two of six from the field and scored 12 points. But he stepped up and contributed in other areas. He knocked down seven of eight of his free throws, leading a 22 of 26 showing at the line for the Owls.

Freshman guard Johnell Davis led the Owls off the bench. The 6-4 freshman had 15 points and six rebounds.

Records

FAU 12-9, 5-3
UTSA 8-14, 1-8

Coming up

Feb. 3 — UTSA at Rice
Feb. 5 — UTSA at North Texas
Feb. 7 — UTSA at Middle Tennessee

Notable

UTSA hit two three-pointers in the final minute of the first half to take a 38-35 lead. In the second half, the shots didn’t fall. The Roadrunners made only 10 of 39 for 25.6 percent after halftime. They hit 33.8 percent for the game.

Jordan Ivy-Curry led UTSA with 19 points. But after playing 34 minutes on Thursday, Ivy-Curry didn’t seem to have quite the lift on his jumpers. He hit only seven of 24 from the field.

Germany, who played 35 minutes Thursday, was 5 of 11 from the field and scored 11. He had 10 rebounds. Dhieu Deing suffered a tough day in hitting only three of 14 shots. He scored eight points.